Pierre Dorion is confident he’ll be able to keep the Ottawa Senators together.

Talk about the future of Erik Karlsson will continue, with the Senators set to make their captain an offer for a long-term contract extension on July 1, but the Senators general manager said Thursday he had no concerns about budget with the likes of Mark Stone, Matt Duchene and Cody Ceci also coming up for new deals.

“We’ll be as competitive a team as we need to be,” Dorion said during a media conference at Canadian Tire Centre. “Whatever funds we’ve felt we’ve needed to have success, they’ve been available.

“I have this great example at the first town hall meeting: When I made the Matt Duchene deal, (Dorion and owner Eugene Melnyk) were sitting in a suite together in Belleville on November first, and I said, ‘There’s a good chance we can get Matt Duchene and this is what we’re looking at and there’s a difference of $1.5 to $2 million in salaries.’ His simple answer was: ‘Is it a good hockey deal?’ I said, ‘Yes, it is,’ and he said, ‘Don’t worry about that. Just go ahead and do it.’”

Dorion acknowledged both the Senators’ 30th-place finish overall this season and that some of his moves didn’t work out as intended.

“I take a lot of responsibility for what happened,” Dorion said. “I think, when you’re at the head of the hockey operations and you finish in 30th place, you have to look in the mirror.

“When it comes to off-season signings, some didn’t pan out as well as we expected, and I take full responsibility for that. I’ve always said, when it comes to top-end guys, we’re going to consult the scouting staff a bit more, and, when it comes to role players, you’re going to consult more with the coaches.”

Senators players paid a visit to Jonathan Pitre at his apartment building in Minneapolis last season. Bruce Garrioch/PostmediaOttSunWP

Team award named for Jonathan Pitre

Dorion confirmed Thursday the Senators would name their hardest-worker award for development camp in June after Jonathan Pitre.

“It’s always the most prestigious award in the camp,” Dorion said. “The recipients have either probably all been NHL players or are close to being in the NHL.

“We’re going to rename that award ‘The Jonathan Pitre Award’ in honour of him. He spoke at our development camp, and, in the 11 years I’ve been here, it was probably the most heartfelt, honest meeting that we’ve ever had. It just makes sense.”

Dorion gave credit for the idea to a Senators fan who attended one of the recent town hall meetings.

“It came from one of our fans (asking), ‘How can you honour him?’ and I think, Jonathan being a younger person, it reflects well on our prospects,” Dorion said.

GM Pierre Dorion wouldn’t identify players with home he talked about possible contract buyouts earlier this week, but a likely candidate would be winger Alex Burrows, who was waived in February.Justin Tang /
THE CANADIAN PRESS

Off the glass

The Senators discussed the possibility of contracts buyouts with some players during exit meetings this week. Dorion wouldn’t name individuals Thursday. “Out of respect to the players we discussed it with, we’re going to, for now, keep it internal,” Dorion said. “But, in the exit interviews, it was brought up with more than one player.” The Senators will likely study the possibility of buying out veteran wingers Marian Gaborik and Alex Burrows. Burrows was waived Burrows just before the trade deadline in February and had limited playing time down the stretch. Gaborik will have to regain his health after surgery on a herniated back disc and needs time to recover before the Senators could make that move with him … Representatives of the Canadian team going to the world hockey championship in Denmark talked to Ceci, but he won’t attend because of his pending status as a restricted free agent July 1 and the insurance issues involved. Centre Filip Chlapik will have a chance to play for the Czechs, while goalie Filip Gustavsson will suit up for Sweden after the American Hockey League season of the Belleville Senators ends Sunday.

Mike Hoffman was the subject of a candid conversation during exit interviews earlier this week.Matt Kincaid /
Getty Images

The last words

Dorion clarified on Thursday the description of a discussion he had with winger Mike Hoffman in an exit interview Monday, but it remained pretty clear that the Senators challenged him to be better next season. “Pure talent, Mike Hoffman is in the top percentile in this league,” Dorion said. “Shooting, skating, passing ability, Mike Hoffman is a pure, natural talent. I think, at the forward position, he’s one of the best, if not our most skilled guy. Randy (Lee, assistant GM) and I just challenged him on where does he think he is on a scale of whatever level. ‘How do you think you played and why was that?’ And, more importantly, ‘Why will you be better next year?’ He responded well.” … Dorion said the Senators had been caught off guard when winger Clarke MacArthur, who has a history of concussions, failed his medical exam at training camp last September. “We couldn’t control that. I wouldn’t say it was unexpected, but it caught us by surprise and maybe we would have been more ready for it had it come earlier in the summer.”

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